


Realisation

by chartreuseblueandyellow



Category: The Blacklist (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:07:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26744881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chartreuseblueandyellow/pseuds/chartreuseblueandyellow
Summary: It was the last straw and confirmed the feelings which had been building up in her, not only today, but over the past few years.She was in love with Ressler.
Relationships: Elizabeth Keen & Donald Ressler, Elizabeth Keen/Donald Ressler
Comments: 10
Kudos: 111





	Realisation

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to @hellosnxy on tumblr (happy birthday btw!!), who gave me the prompt of Liz realising she's in love with Ressler after seeing him playing with Agnes.  
> Hope y’all enjoy, let me know what you think!

To say their day hadn't gone as planned was an understatement. Sure they had arrested the three blacklisters they were after but in the process she had gotten thrown through glass, beaten up, and had her arm broken. All in all, not one of the best days she'd had at work. 

At entering the post office again, Ressler had handed off the three for Aram to deal with while he immediately escorted her to medical. The doctor gave her some pain medication before setting her arm and Ressler shook his head at her trying not to show any pain.   
Liz was sitting on the edge of a hospital bed and Ressler came and stood next to her, leaning against the bed, as the doctor put her now set arm in a cast and sling. Ressler pulled out his phone, presumably to pass the time waiting for her, but seeing the screen she gasped. His head turned to her, concern on his face.   
“You okay Liz?”

She nodded, saying “it's okay, I'm not in pain,” for both Ressler’s sake and the doctor who nodded, then continued dealing with the cuts on her face.   
Speaking to Ressler, she said, “it's almost three o’clock, I have to pick Agnes from school.”

Putting a hand on her shoulder, Ressler smiled.  
“I can go pick her up.”

She smiled back, not being able to nod while the doctor was patching her up.  
“Yes please, thanks Ress.”  
He nodded then walked out the room. There had been previous times where her partner had gone to pick her daughter up, so she knew that Agnes would be okay with being picked up by him, even with no warning. 

After a few more minutes she was done and, thanking the doctor, she left to find something to do while she waited for Ressler and Agnes. Seeing Aram at his desk, she wheeled a chair next to him and sat down. He smiled at her and then, seeming confused that she was alone asked, “where's Ressler?”

“I was in med so he went to pick up Agnes.”

He nodded and they started chatting. While they had met as colleagues, Aram was now definitely one of her closest friends and she loved moments like this where they could, not worrying about a case, simply chat and catch up.   
He told her about his dive into online dating and, when she raised an eyebrow, he just smiled.  
“After my past relationships, I'm definitely not looking for anything serious, just something fun, y'know?”

Liz nodded, seeing his point, and after a pause he shot her a questioning look.  
“What about you? Are you looking for a relationship?”  
Ressler’s face automatically flashed into her mind and while she wasn't completely surprised at where her thoughts had gone, she wasn't ready to tell Aram about it quite yet. 

“With work and Agnes, I'm not really looking,” he nodded understandingly but she couldn't help but add, “though if one happens to find me, I wouldn't say no.”

He grinned at her.   
“Aaaand that's my cue to set you up so you don't have to find someone yourself.”

She laughed and shook her head but before she could reply, the elevator door opened and Ressler and Agnes walked out, one of his hands held her backpack while Agnes held the other, swinging both their arms as they walked. Agnes was talking animatedly while Ressler listened with a smile on his face.   
Liz grinned. It was an adorable sight.   
Aram was grinning as well.  
“Well _that's_ just plain adorable.”

Liz chuckled.   
“Yeah it is, isn't it?”

Finally seeing her, Agnes let go of Ressler’s hand and, running, launched a hug onto her. The air rushed out of her and her body groaned in protest, making Ressler wince as he saw her reaction, but she ignored it and wrapped her good arm around her daughter.   
“Hey baby, how was your day?”

Ignoring her question, Agnes, with her arms still around her waist, looked up at her with slightly worried eyes.   
“Resswr said that you were hurt mommy and that's why he had to pick me up.”

She reassuringly rubbed Agnes’ back.  
“I was a bit hurt but the doctor fixed me, I'm okay now.”

“You pwomise?”

“I promise.”

Nodding, Agnes gave her another hug before turning and talking with ‘uncew Awam’ and Ressler came up to her with a small smile.  
“I reassured her as much as I could on the way over, but she had to make sure for herself that you were okay.”

Liz put her good hand on his forearm.  
“Thanks Ress.”

He grinned at her and then they both turned their attention to Agnes who had come and stood next to her side.  
“Because you're okay mommy, we can go to the park like you promised we could after I did my reading test!”

Liz held in sigh. She _had_ promised Agnes a trip to the park today after she had done the reading test she was nervous about, but she just was _not_ up for it.   
Despite the pain medication, her arm was emanating waves of pain, all her cuts were throbbing and her body felt like it needed to sleep for an entire day. All in all, dealing with an excitable child in the park by herself was just too much and, even though she knew how upset Agnes was going to be, she knew they'd have to do it another day. 

She was about to apologise to Agnes and tell her no when Ressler’s hand on her arm stopped her. Knowing her well enough by now, she could tell he knew what was happening in her head and, hand still on her, he turned to Agnes.  
“If your mom is okay with it, how about I come with you guys?”

Agnes gave a squeal of excitement and hugged Ressler and honestly, Liz felt like doing the same. Because of how he had first come into her life, she had thought him uptight and unfeeling but, after all these years, she knew the opposite was true. Once he let people in, he was the warmest and truly the most caring person, and she really was honoured to call him her partner. Liz gave him a warm, beaming smile which he returned. 

“What's all the excitement about?”  
They turned to face a smiling Cooper. 

“Hewow mista coopwr.” 

He beamed at Agnes.  
“Hello Agnes, what's happening here?”

Agnes had a huge grin as she explained.   
“Mommy pwomised to take me to the park and Resswr is coming wif us!”

Cooper smiled at her daughters enthusiasm and after grinning at her as well, Ressler turned to Cooper.   
“If you don't mind getting our reports a bit later than usual -”

Cooper smiled and shook his head.   
“Of course. Go, have the rest of the day off.”

After thanking him, Liz walked into the office to get her purse and walked out to see Agnes, holding Ressler’s hand again, enthusiastically describing the playground to him. Smiling at how well they got along, she followed them into the elevator. After laughing at one of Agnes' stories, they reached Ressler's car and after getting her buckled in and putting her backpack next to her, Ressler sat in the driver's seat while Liz sat in the passenger. 

The 20 minute drive was made with Agnes filling her in on her day and Ressler nodding and smiling, having already heard it on the way to the post office. Leaving Agnes' backpack in the car, they got out and Liz gently lowered herself down onto a bench with a perfect view of the mostly empty playground area. She placed her purse next to her and looked up to see Ressler scanning the area. He looked back at her and grinned.  
"While what I'm wearing is perfect for work, it's probably not the most appropriate for a children's playground." 

She smiled, he _did_ look pretty over dressed in the park. He took out his gun and badge and put them into her purse and, taking off his blazer, laid it on top. He rolled up his sleeves and while loosening his tie (it was completely unfair how _hot_ he looked), Ressler grinned at Agnes.   
"Race to the swingset?"

A giggle was the only warning he got as Agnes shot off in hopes of winning, and laughing, Ressler yelled after her, "I didn't even say go!"   
At hearing his voice, she only ran faster.   
He turned to her and the roll of his eyes was softened by the fond grin on his face.  
"Better go catch up to the munchkin."   
Liz grinned as her partner took off, and that only grew wider as she watched him catch up to Agnes and, picking up her still giggling daughter, he swung her around. 

An older lady walked past her at that moment and, seeing her grinning at Ressler and Agnes, turned to Liz with a smile on her face.  
"You have such a beautiful family dear." 

Liz was slightly flustered but after a pause, she thanked the lady, knowing it'd be easier to accept the compliment rather than explain.   
Smiling at the woman as she continued walking, Liz couldn't help but think that Ressler was actually her family, though not in the way she knew the woman meant. She genuinely didn't know what she would do without him in her life.   
The same could be said for Aram, Cooper and even Reddington and Dembe, but Ressler was… special. 

She really didn't like him when they first met but, given how strong that dislike had been, the feeling had gone away fast. They had quickly gone from dislike to hesitant partners and from there, friends, each other's confidants, and now he really was her island of calm. 

God.   
It had been the moment he had told her that she was a better person than he was (it was a lovely sentiment but _definitely_ not true) and when he had started talking about her future like he wasn’t going to be in it, that she knew she had to do something to, for once, stop him from doing the right thing. After the countless times he had protected her, she could finally do the same for him but, selfishly, she also needed him to stay in her life. She was more than happy to do what she had done to keep it that way. 

Looking back up, Liz saw Agnes slowly making her way across the monkey bars, something she was usually hesitant to do, but having Ressler next to her with a light hand on her back, seemed to alleviate those fears.   
Liz smiled. Like her, Agnes knew that Ressler would always be there to catch her if she fell.   
She had lost count just how many times Ressler had acted as her safety net. The first time was probably the stewmaker, then being her supportive ear after she had found out Red killed Sam and just too many times to count while she was on the run. And those were still when they were, in the grand scheme of things, relatively new as partners. There had been so many times after that as well. She literally couldn't list all the time Ressler saved her. 

But it wasn't just the keeping her safe that made Ressler special. He made her… happy. And given everything she had gone through since joining the task force, she found that feeling genuinely happy was something that was getting less and less common for her, but with Ressler, and with Agnes, she found that feeling again. He was one of the very few people she felt completely comfortable around and because he knew everything she had gone through, and truly knew who she was, being with Ressler made her feel genuinely happy and content. 

Focusing back on the two, it was now apparently Ressler’s turn to go on the bars and, curling his legs up so he didn't touch the ground, he steadily made his way across while Agnes cheered him on. Liz smiled. She and her daughter seemed to be the only ones who got to see this carefree, playful side of Ressler and it meant more to her than he could ever know that he felt comfortable enough around the both of them to show it. 

Nearly at the other side, Liz watched, slightly startled, as Ressler’s hand seemed to slip and he fell hard onto ground, landing on his butt with a thud. She knew he wasn't injured too badly so watched as her partner and daughter looked at each other with a shocked silence (Ressler not believing he fell and Agnes who thought that he'd make it) and after a pause, they both doubled over with laughter. Her body still shaking with giggles, Agnes moved forward and grabbed Ressler’s arm in efforts to lift him to his feet and, still laughing as well, he pulled her in and pressed a light kiss on the top of her hair. 

Liz’s chest felt like it was going to burst with the myriad of emotions she felt at the sight.   
It was the last straw and confirmed the feelings which had been building up in her, not only today, but over the past few years. 

_She was in love with Ressler._

“Well isn't this a lovely scene.”  
Liz spun sharply, making her body hurt. After seven years, she should probably be used to Red popping up unannounced and unexpected (and honestly when he was least wanted, she needed time to reflect on her epiphany), yet here she was, surprised again. Dembe was standing a few steps back but, gaze turning back to Red, she saw his eyes were on Ressler and Agnes, and now that she was over the shock of him appearing out of nowhere, Liz noticed that his tone, instead of being its usual sarcastic self, sounded rather genuine. 

She smiled as he sat on the empty side of the bench.   
“I had promised Agnes that we'd come play here today, but I didn't expect how my day would go,” Red gave an apologetic smile at that, “so Ressler offered to come with.”

Red nodded and content, they both silently watched her partner and daughter play, the pair now laughing as Agnes tried, and failed, to climb up the slide. 

"There are very few people in this world that I have deemed worthy of my respect," she turned to him, surprised by the seriousness of his voice but, gaze still on the two playing in front of them, he continued, "Donald here is one of them."

Liz froze, surprised at the out of the blue statement, the intensity in it, and also the timing.  
She had _just_ come to realise she loved Ressler and here Red was telling her Ressler was one of the very few people he truly respected. 

Not wanting to let Red in on the realisation she’d had just before he’d arrived, but wholeheartedly agreeing with his statement, she opted for a causal response.   
“He is pretty special huh?”

Reddington finally turned to face her, and before she could comment on his knowing smile, he added in a more jovial tone, "at any rate, he's a much better person than Tom was."

Liz rolled her eyes. Of course he had to ruin one of the rare genuine moments they were having.  
“What was it you came here for again?”

Red smiled at her changing the topic but went along with it.  
"Dembe and I found who hired our blacklisters, but -” glancing at the playground and back to her, added, “I'll take the information to Cooper. I'll leave you three to enjoy the moment."   
She looked at him, slightly surprised by this considerate Red, but nodded.  
“Yeah, that’ll be nice. Thanks.”

He nodded his farewell and she smiled at him and Demebe who did the same and, getting into the car, they drove off. Now that they were gone, she reflected on the interaction she’d just had with Red. It was very rare having a genuine Red and so the fact that he had talked about Ressler like that, left her slightly confused.   
It actually meant a lot that he had said that, but the timing was suspect. Surely Red didn’t know her feelings? Hell, she had just figured them out herself. She quickly shook it off however as Ressler and Agnes came running towards her, Agnes shouting when she was close enough.  
“Did you see me climb up the slide mommy?”

She laughed at her enthusiasm but shook her head and Ressler looked at her with an eyebrow raised.  
“I assume because you were too busy talking with Reddington?”  
She grinned. Even when busy playing with Agnes, Ressler didn’t miss a thing. 

“Yeah. He came over to say he had found out who hired the blacklisters but,” surprise in her voice, continued, “he offered very casually to just take it to Cooper so he wouldn’t interrupt my day.”

Ressler laughed.  
“Yeah, the only thing that Redington and I have in common is that we want to see you happy, and clearly he saw how much you were enjoying yourself.”  
If Ressler knew just how happy he made her, would he stay with her forever? She shook that thought out of her head as he continued.  
“He was probably also feeling a bit guilty about your injuries.”  
She laughed, knowing that was probable. 

The sun was shining and seeing her daughter and partner so happy was making her even happier. The pain medication finally seemed to fully set in, her pains dulled into aches she could ignore, so Liz didn't want this moment to be over.   
"Anyone feel like ice cream?" 

Agnes gave an excited scream and Liz should've prepared herself for the second launching hug her daughter gave her. Like before, even though it hurt, she laughed and hugged her daughter back with her free arm.   
Ressler looked at the both of them with a fond grin and looking at him, she added, "my treat."   
He smiled and nodded, and after collecting their things, they made their way back to Ressler's car.   
The drive to the ice cream shop was made with Agnes recounting everything she and Ressler had done in the playground with the latter laughingly adding details as well. Seeing her daughter and partner (the two people she loved the most) interact so happily and effortlessly with each other, Liz’s heart had never felt more full. 

They arrived at a cute little ice cream parlour and after placing their orders, they chose to sit outside on the cute round tables. Ressler leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out so they were leaning against her’s. With his stance, his loose tie and his sleeves rolled up, she hadn't seen him this relaxed in a long time.   
The late afternoon sun covered them in a golden, warm, light and with that, and the smile he had as he chatted with Agnes, Ressler’s face seemed like it was glowing.  
Liz felt her chest tighten. She truly loved this man. 

Their ice creams came and, needing to capture this moment, Liz took out her phone.   
"Agnes, Ressler, say cheese!”

The both of them looked up and smiled then, taking the phone from her, Ressler added, "this calls for a group selfie."

He held it up, Agnes in between her and Ressler, and he took the photo. Handing back the phone to her with a grin, he said, "It's a cute photo, make sure you send it to me."

She grinned.  
"Of course."

Enjoying this great end to a not so great day, Agnes engaged them in random bits of conversation as they ate their ice cream.   
Between slurps of hers, she asked, “did you have fun today Resswr?”  
He looked at Agnes, a grin lighting up his eyes.   
“I had fun playing in the playground, even though I fell," Agnes giggled at that and smiling, Ressler continued, "and now I'm eating ice cream with both my favourite Keen girls. _Of course_ I had fun.”  
Agnes shot him a large grin in return but Liz's heart, much like the forgotten ice cream in front of her, just… melted.   
First of all, he had included Agnes as one of his favourites but, more importantly, he had said _my_ Keen girls. 

_Mine_. As in _his_. 

And usually Liz scoffed at the notion of being someones, but she knew Ressler, and knew how he meant it, and with the softness in his voice and the happiness radiating from his expression and tone as he said it, she couldn't help but smile softly and, though she didn't think it possible, fall even deeper in love with him. 

As conversations with the both of them and Agnes were effortlessly intertwined with ones about work, Liz realised she could get used to this. It was like the older woman had said earlier. In this moment, the three of them really just seemed like a family. 

Ressler’s phone buzzed and he read the message with a slight frown.   
“Everything okay Ress?”

He quickly shot her a reassuring grin.   
“Yeah, if anything, things are too good.”  
She raised an eyebrow at his cryptic message, and laughing, he explained.  
“Robbie’s in town and I'm giving him a ride back to Detroit so we can celebrate mom’s birthday early. I was meant to meet him at my place -” he checked his watch, “- five minutes ago, but I've been having such a good time that it slipped my mind.” 

Liz smiled, loving that Ressler was as caught up in the moment as she was, and in a light tone said, “we should go then, best not to leave Robbie waiting.”

Ressler shook his head.   
“Don't want him to cause any trouble while he waits.”

She laughed and after making sure Agnes was done, they got up. Liz paid then caught up to the other two in the car and, because he had driven them from the post office, he headed towards her apartment to drop them off.   
He came up with them but didn't walk in after she opened the door and gave her an apologetic smile.  
“I should go, Robbie’s been waiting for a while.”  
She nodded, understanding he was already late and, though she didn't want to keep him for long, this day (after getting beat up of course) had been special so she needed her bye to show that. 

Not thinking too much about how this might affect their relationship, but needing to do something about the emotion that felt like was going to burst out of her, she stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek.  
He stilled at her lips against him and she stepped back to see the surprise on his face turn to soft wonder.   
Whispering, because their faces were still close together, he asked with a hint of a smile on his face, "what was that for?" 

She struggled to get out the words, not wanting to blurt out that she loved him but wanting to convey that same depth of emotion. He patiently waited as she gathered her thoughts and after a pause whispered, "you really are my island of calm Ressler, I don't know what I'd do without you.”

The hint of a smile turned into one which lit up his eyes and, gently holding her upper arms (a gesture that had become all too common recently), he spoke in a soft voice.   
“Liz, you’ve been telling me how much I mean to you, but, even though I think it’s pretty obvious, I don’t think I tell you enough just how much _you_ mean to _me_.”

She couldn’t help but smile at the sincerity in his voice and, smiling at her reaction, he continued.  
“You're my partner, not only for work, but in the rest of my life as well, and _I_ don't know what I'd do without you.”

The intensity of his gaze as he spoke made her freeze. That was basically exactly what she felt so, was she looking too much into it, or was she not the only one who loved her partner?   
He only smiled at her inquisitive look but before he could say anything, Agnes whizzed back into the room.   
“Resswr, do you want to stay for dinner?”  
He moved his hands off of her arms and looked at Agnes with an apologetic smile. 

"I really want to honey but I promised my mom I'd meet up with her."   
Agnes wisely nodded, knowing breaking promises with moms wasn't a smart choice, and Ressler knelt down to give her a hug. 

While hugging him back, Agnes whispered in a voice meant just for Ressler to hear, but she heard it too.   
“I know mommy wasn't feeling fully better so thank you for coming to the park wif us and thank you for looking after mommy at work.”  
Liz's heart clenched and she had to smile. She really had the best daughter. 

Knowing that she’d heard, Ressler looked up at her with a smile, then replied to Agnes.  
“Of course honey, I’ll always look out for your mom, and for you.”  
Liz smiled because she knew that was true. Like he had said earlier, they were partners in work and in their daily lives and, because of that, not only did he have her’s and Agnes’ back, she had his. 

He gave Agnes one last squeeze and after letting go and standing back up, he looked at her with a grin.  
“Thanks for today, I haven’t this much fun in a long time.”

Grinning back, she said, “well, you’re always welcome to join us again.”

He nodded.  
“Yeah I’ll probably take you up on that.”  
And then, after seeming to hesitate for a second, he leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Now that the tables had turned, she was equally surprised and stilled completely as well. Moving back, he grinned at her reaction and, winking at Agnes, he said his byes then left. 

Liz stood at the door with her hand on her cheek for longer than she’d care to admit. Shaking herself out of it, she closed the door and, before she forgot, pulled out her phone and sent Ressler the photo of him and Agnes as well as the selfie. Liz looked at the photo of the three of them for a while, not being able to help the grin on her face as she saw how genuinely happy they all were.   
Pressing a few buttons, she made it into her lockscreen so she could see that photo everyday.   
Her phone buzzed and she read Ressler’s reply: _the 3 of us are too cute. Making it my lockscreen :)_

Liz couldn't help but grin.


End file.
